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“O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” (2 Chronicles 20:12 NLT)
Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, was in trouble. The armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir had joined forces to attack their common enemy, Judah. Military strategy, no matter how brilliant or daring, would not be able to overcome the size differential of the fighting forces. The armies that were descending on Judah had the potential to annihilate.
King Jehoshaphat recognized that this was no time for false bravado. All he could do was pray and trust in God’s mercy and strength. In 2 Chronicles 20, we find him standing with his men, along with their families and children, praying, “O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help” (verse 12 NLT).
God’s answer came through Jahaziel, one of the men standing with the king. “This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (verse 15 NLT).
I love that scene. Humanly speaking, it is a picture of weakness. King Jehoshaphat was saying, in effect, “Lord, here we are. We have the kids. We have an army coming toward us. What am I going to do here? Our eyes are on You.” That is a good thing to pray. God answered Jehoshaphat’s prayer, intervened, and rescued the people of Judah.
In the New Testament, we read of a time when there was a storm at sea, and the disciples were calling out to God for help. Jesus finally showed up, walking toward them on the water. He had arrived during the fourth watch of the night, which is the last part of the night, right before the sun begins to rise. Technically, it’s the morning, but it still feels like it’s night.
This means the disciples had been toiling at sea for hours, trying to get through that storm, and Jesus came along at the last possible moment. The point is that He did come to them. And He will do the same for you and me. He always will—when the time is right. We need to just trust Him.
God’s reckoning of time is much more accurate than ours is. He is eternal. He can see past, present, and future with perfect clarity. He knows the ripple effect of every action. He also knows how to bring good from any situation. He is the perfect Consultant—One who wants only the best for us and knows when and how that best can be achieved.
Remember this: He loves us with an everlasting love. That love is not fickle. That love doesn’t change. That love is persistent. That love is consistent. We are loved by God.
Reflection question: When have you experienced God’s amazing timing? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast
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“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:2–3 NLT)
Have you ever gone through a hard time and wondered where God was? I can tell you where He was: He was right there with you. Not only that, but He will be with you tomorrow and the day after. And He will be with you on the day you leave this earth for Heaven.
In Isaiah 43:2–3, God says, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (NLT).
You’ll notice that He doesn’t say, “I will keep you in the shallow end.” He doesn’t say, “I will make sure that you stay on the riverbank.” He doesn’t say, “I will keep you a safe distance from the fire.” God doesn’t promise comfort. The paths He lays out for us aren’t always smooth and level. He doesn’t guarantee a life free from failure, devastation, pain, anxiety, loneliness, or doubt. He guarantees that you will never face any of those things alone. You will never have to rely solely on your own strength to endure any of them.
The psalmist David wrote, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” (Psalm 23:4 NLT). God is with you. He will be with you. You don’t have to fear evil. God will be with you on your good days and on your bad days. He will be with you in your grief of a lost loved one and in your joy of a baby’s birth.
You don’t have to be afraid. Jesus said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5 NLT). Also, the Bible tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 NLT). There will never come a time when He changes His mind and leaves you.
Sometimes when we pray, it may seem as though God is late in answering. Sometimes when God comes through for us, it is later than we expected. God is never late. His delays are delays of love. Even God’s silence can be a silence of love. He wants us to pour our hearts out to Him. He will enter into that pain with us. He will answer in the way He chooses. Call on Him.
Reflection question: What does it mean to you that God is always present in the midst of pain, suffering, and struggle? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast
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Support the show: https://harvest.org/support
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” (Romans 5:3–4 NLT)
Years ago, I had a friend who was very sick and asked me to pray for him. I did. He got worse. He said, “I don’t ever want you to pray for me again.”
In our estimation, sometimes things go the wrong way. We may pray, “Lord, heal this person. Be glorified through this.”
But the Lord might say, “I will be glorified, but I’m not going to do it the way you want Me to. I’m going to do this other thing instead.”
Sometimes God will remove the affliction. Sometimes God will heal the illness. Sometimes God will take away the cancer. But sometimes the person will get worse.
We usually don’t like that. But it is in these times that God can be glorified. Everyone suffers in life. Christians suffer, too. When a Christian is suffering and can still glorify God, that is a powerful testimony to a lost world. When non-Christians see us honoring the Lord through our suffering, it shows them how real our faith is. And guess what? It shows us how real our faith is, too.
Do you think your faith would get stronger if everything were easy in life? No, your faith will get stronger through hardship. Here’s something that might surprise you: You will develop even more hope through tribulation. Romans 5:3–4 says, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation” (NLT).
We must remember that as steel is tempered to make it stronger, God is tempering us to give us strength. Hebrews 4:16 says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (NLT). But that boldness must also be tempered with a sense of humility, recognizing that we don’t know what’s best in a given situation.
So, instead of offering suggestions as to how God might relieve our suffering, a better approach is to ask Him for the strength, courage, and faith to endure. Ask Him for the wisdom and discernment to recognize the lessons in our predicament. We must learn to look at every circumstance as an opportunity to grow and to understand the Lord better.
Hope grows in the garden of pain. It doesn’t grow without challenges or difficulty. It grows in hard times. It’s sort of like building muscle. You build it up by breaking it down. Then, as you keep working out, that muscle will get stronger. You develop strength through your weaknesses. This is true of Christians in their spiritual lives as well.
Reflection question: What would it look like for you to glorify God when you’re suffering? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast
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Support the show: https://harvest.org/support
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.” (Philippians 1:27 NLT)
Revival is necessary because sometimes our Christian faith becomes routine. It loses its spark. If this “routineness” continues, it can lead to backsliding—that is, a turning away from God and His will to pursue the pleasures of this world.
If you’ve experienced it or seen it happen firsthand, you know that backsliding doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t call up your mature Christian friend and say, “Hey, do you want to backslide tonight? Seriously? Okay, I’ll pick you up at seven.”
Backsliding usually starts with tolerating something that’s sinful, something you never would have gone near before. Maybe it’s curiosity, maybe it’s the influence of other people, but instead of rejecting it out of hand and making sure to avoid it, you open your mind to it. You sort of put up with it and maybe even play around with it, thinking, “This isn’t going to hurt me. I’m too strong, too mature in my faith. I’ve walked with the Lord for a long time. I could recite a half dozen Bible verses about resisting temptation and making wise decisions.”
All the while, the devil is grinning as he watches you justify your shift in thinking and blur some of the lines you previously refused to cross. And then he does whatever he can to facilitate the process. Feeding the urge to backslide is one of his most potent battlefield maneuvers.
Have you ever seen a baby rattlesnake? As you would imagine, it has little fangs and a little tail and a little rattle. You might even call it cute if you’re into that sort of thing. Until it bites you. Did you know that the venom of a baby rattlesnake is more potent than that of an adult rattlesnake?
In the same way, the subtle shifts away from God and His will may seem harmless at first. Backsliding starts with accommodating. You turn a blind eye to something. Then you give in to it and legitimize it. And then you start making excuses for it and defending it. The next thing you know, you embrace it as a normal lifestyle. But that’s not the behavior of a real saint, of a real follower of Jesus.
If you want to finish well in the race of life and live joyfully, if you want God to complete the work He has begun in you, then you need to press on as a follower of Christ. He will give you the strength to do it. But you need to ask for that strength every day.
Reflection question: What are you being tempted to turn a blind eye to? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast
Become a Harvest Partner
Support the show: https://harvest.org/support
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.” (Luke 18:1 NLT)
Even if prayer were a difficult thing to do, which it is not, or an unpleasant thing to do, which it is not, we still would have every reason to pray because we are commanded in Scripture to do so. The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7 NLT). And Luke 18:1 tells us that Jesus used a story to show His followers “that they should always pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1 NLT).
Prayer is God’s appointed way for us to obtain things. This doesn’t mean that God is like some big Santa in Heaven. He’s not standing by, ready to grant our every wish.
Prayer concerns something much more important: our needs. God invites us to take our every need to Him. We see it in Paul’s words in Philippians 4. We see it in David’s psalms. We see it in Jesus’ alone time with His Father. We see it in the lives of countless Bible characters. Whatever was on their minds, whatever was in their path, whatever was impacting their lives, God wanted them to involve Him in it.
Jesus said, “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need” (Matthew 6:9–11 NLT). If you need it, God wants you to tell Him about it.
Do you have needs right now? Pray about it. Do you need His provision? Pray about it. Do you need His healing touch? Pray about it. Go to God with your requests, and your heavenly Father, who knows you need these things, will hear you.
James wrote, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2 NIV). Think about that. You might ask, “Why is it that I never know what the will of God is for my life?”
Answer: You do not have because you do not ask God.
You might ask, “Why is it that I never have the opportunity to lead people to the Lord?”
Answer: You do not have because you do not ask God.
You might ask, “Why don’t I feel more confident when I face spiritual battles?”
Answer: You do not have because you do not ask God.
I wonder how many answers to prayer would be waiting for us if we were to just pray about things. What would happen if we just said, “Lord, I’ve never actually brought this before You, but I’m praying about it now.” The worst-case scenario is that God will say no. But what if God says yes?
Reflection question: What need will you take to God in prayer today? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast
Become a Harvest Partner
Support the show: https://harvest.org/support
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:15–16 NLT)
When hardship strikes some people, they will turn away from God. If something bad happens to them that doesn’t make sense, they conclude there can’t be a God—or that if there is a God, He doesn’t care about them. So, they turn against Him and essentially find a belief system that accommodates their feelings.
It should come as no surprise that the devil does some of his most effective work during times of hardship and suffering. Given half a chance, he’ll turn our attention away from the big picture of God’s plan to strengthen, nurture, and care for us through our struggles and difficulties. Instead, the devil tries to shift our focus to the smaller picture of our immediate circumstances. He’ll appeal to our sense of privilege. “Why should I have to face any hardship or suffering? Why doesn’t God do something about it?”
But God isn’t to blame for our difficulties and struggles. Trials and hardship are the byproducts of a fallen world. We suffer because we sinned. God is the One who gives us hope amid our suffering. Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NLT).
To give us that hope, God had to suffer, too. Jesus Christ was God incarnate, and no one ever suffered like Jesus. Not only did He endure the physical pain of being whipped, beaten, and crucified, but He also bore the sins of the world on Himself as He hung on Calvary’s cross and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46 NLT).
When you’re suffering, you need to know that you’re talking to a God who knows what you’re going through. You’ll find in Jesus a merciful High Priest and a faithful friend who feels your pain. Hebrews 4:15 says, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (NLT).
We can’t live in a pain-free world, as much as we would like to try. When trouble comes (and it will come), when crisis knocks at your door (and it will knock), you can either become angry at God or turn to Him and trust in Him.
Here’s your choice in life: You can become better or bitter. It’s usually one or the other. When something bad happens, you can say, “I’m mad at God. I’m bitter with God.” Okay. That’s your choice. But you can also say, “I’m going to trust in God. I’m going to cling to God.” And you will become better as a result. It’s really up to you.
Reflection question: What situation in your life right now has the potential to make you either better or bitter? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast
Become a Harvest Partner
Support the show: https://harvest.org/support
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” (John 5:24 NLT)
One question that I’m often asked is, can Christians lose their salvation? People are afraid of this, and I think it’s for good reason. New believers often experience moments of doubt, and so do Christians who have known the Lord for many years. In fact, the first temptation the serpent presented in the Garden of Eden was to doubt God. He said to Eve, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1 NLT). In other words, “Did God really say what you thought He said?”
The strategy worked so well in the Garden that the devil has been using it ever since. Causing God’s people to question God’s Word and God’s faithfulness is one of his favorite battlefield maneuvers. If he can shake your foundation, he gains an advantage over you. And, for believers, the most foundational belief of all is that if we’ve received Jesus as Savior and Lord, then we’ve been forgiven of our sins, we’ve been given the righteousness of Christ, and we will spend eternity in Heaven with Him. If the devil can get you to question those things, he can shake your foundation and open cracks in your faith.
When you have thoughts like, “Maybe I’m not saved; maybe the Holy Spirit really isn’t living inside of me,” you need to stand on the Word of God, and not on your emotions. Emotions will fluctuate; the Word of God never will. Here are a few Scriptures to remind you of God’s faithfulness and prevent the devil from shaking your beliefs.
“All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true” (1 John 5:10 NLT).
“For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16 NLT).
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life” (John 5:24 NLT).
“I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13 NLT).
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39 NLT).
During His temptation in the wilderness, Jesus responded to each of the devil’s three challenges with the words, “It is written,” followed by a quote from Scripture. Jesus stood on ground that we, too, can occupy. When we quote Scripture, we not only bolster our faith, but we also keep the devil at a disadvantage. So, any time you start to question or doubt your salvation, turn to the Word of God—or, better yet, recite it from memory. The devil hates that.
Reflection question: What would you say to a fellow believer who was afraid of losing their salvation? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12–13 NIV)
Some people are really into exercise. They love to work up a sweat, go on a run, or lift weights. I hate all of it. And I know I’m not alone in that. But the fact of the matter is that we really need to exercise. We can’t hire someone to work out for us. It’s something we have to do for ourselves. In Philippians 2:12–13, the apostle Paul addresses a similar spiritual reality.
Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (niv). Paul was in prison in Rome when he wrote those words. He was experiencing anxiety over the fact that he was separated from his fellow believers, whom he cared so much about.
Effectively Paul was saying, “Look, guys, I can’t be with you right now. I wish I were there to offer you guidance and to be a good example for you, but I can’t do it. But don’t forget: It’s God who works in you, and not Paul.”
The believers in Philippi may have been thinking, “We can’t live the Christian life without Paul around.” But the reality was, they could. And the same goes for believers today. If pastors and spiritual leaders are doing their jobs properly, they will get you up on your own feet, spiritually speaking, so that you’re not dependent on them.
This is especially important in the heat of spiritual battle. Some Christians may be hesitant to engage the enemy without the direction, encouragement, and motivation of their spiritual leaders. They don’t trust themselves. And the devil is quick to take advantage of that.
Paul speaks for all sincere Christian leaders when he says, in effect, “Guys, keep things in perspective. It’s God who’s doing the work. He’s the only One you have to rely on. Maybe He worked through me, but it’s still God who did the work. And He can do it through you.”
Paul would have been the first to object if someone had tried to put him on a pedestal or claim that he could do no wrong. So, our takeaway from Philippians 2:12–13 is that we must not base our relationship with God on someone else’s relationship with God. We need to develop our own faith, based on our own experiences with God and His Word. We need to build on our own spiritual foundation. We need to fight our own spiritual battles with God by our side.
Reflection question: Why is it tempting to rely too heavily on spiritual leaders? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast
Become a Harvest Partner
Support the show: https://harvest.org/support
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” (James 4:1–2 NLT)
Sometimes in spiritual battle the devil will tempt us with things we’ve never experienced before. Because they’re new to us, we may not understand fully the damage they can cause. In other words, our enemy exploits our inexperience.
Other times, the devil uses desires and impulses that are so familiar to us and such an integral part of who we are that—again—we may not understand fully the damage they can cause. In other words, our enemy exploits our blind spots.
Selfishness falls squarely into the second category. Think about the problems you deal with on a regular basis—the things that get you into trouble time and time again. How many of them stem from selfish desires? How many of the things that you struggle with have selfishness at their root? How often does the devil exploit your selfish impulses for his own gain?
James wrote, “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them” (James 4:1–2 NLT). In other words, “You want your own way.”
You can see this impulse even in little children. Have you ever noticed that when two children are playing, one child will ignore a certain toy until the moment the other child picks it up? Suddenly both children want it. They scream and pull, trying to wrest it away from one another. Sometimes they’ll destroy the toy in the process—all because one child wants what the other has. That’s just human nature. We’re born that way, and we carry that trait with us through life, causing countless problems along the way.
Marriages fall apart, by and large, because of selfishness. People have sex before marriage because of selfishness. People commit adultery because of selfishness. Name a problem in our society today, and chances are you’ll find selfishness at its root.
Dwight L. Moody once said, “I have more trouble with D. L. Moody than with any other man I’ve ever met.” As Moody recognized, it’s our obsession with ourselves that is at the root of our problems.
The apostle Paul urged the believers at Philippi, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:3–4 NLT).
That’s a tall order for people whose selfish impulses start at birth. But God stands ready to help you. To transform your focus and your priorities. To help you recognize and deal with your selfish urges. To take away the devil’s advantage over you. It’s a lifelong process, but one that’s well worth the time.
Reflection question: In what areas do selfish urges cause you the most problems? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast
Become a Harvest Partner
Support the show: https://harvest.org/support
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 NLT)
Are you trying to live in two worlds? If so, then I know something about you. I know you’re not happy. Am I right? When you spend time around other Christians, you’re uncomfortable because of your sin. On the other hand, when you’re doing things you know you shouldn’t as a Christian, then you have the conviction of that sin.
I have an idea: Stop doing that stuff. Make your choice. As Joshua said to the Israelites, “Choose today whom you will serve. . . . But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 NLT). Every one of us must make that same decision. I can’t make it for you, and you can’t make it for me.
Are you in a relationship that’s dragging you down? Think hard about the apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 6:14–15: “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?” (NLT). Are you doing things that are weakening your resolve? Think about the disadvantage you’re creating for yourself and the opening you’re giving your spiritual enemy.
Trying to live in two worlds is like trying to pitch a tent in no man’s land during a battle. You’re setting yourself up for constant bombardment. You’ll face spiritual battle after spiritual battle, and your enemy will have the advantage in every one of them.
I’m not saying it’s easy to turn your back on sin. We all get tempted. We all struggle with our old nature. And as Christians, we all have a God who will give us the strength to do what He has called us to do.
It comes down to this: Do you want to change? If you do, then God will give you the resolve you need. In Exodus 3, the Lord spoke to Moses through a burning bush. He instructed Moses to return to Egypt to demand that Pharaoh release the people of Israel from slavery. Moses’ reply went something like this: “I can’t do this. I don’t know what to say. I stumble over my words.”
Two chapters later, Moses faced off against Pharaoh, perhaps the most powerful man on earth at the time. The sudden change wasn’t due to Moses’ self-improvement regimen. God gave Moses the strength he needed to accomplish His will.
In the same way, God will give you the strength to do what you need to do. Don’t live in two worlds. Make a complete commitment to Jesus.
Reflection question: Why is it so tempting to try to live in two worlds? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
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If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
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